In short, the man has great taste, as is evident by his latest build. “Dyna Guerilla” is a 2009 Fat Bob—trimmed of the fat and wrapped in a slick exterior that panders to its strength: the torquey 1584cc v-twin tucked away inside.

To improve the Fat Bob’s stance, Yeh’s matched a set of Progressive shocks at the back to a Progressive lowering kit up front. The forks have been coated in titanium black and upgraded with a set of Arlen Ness Hot Legs fork legs.

The wheels are also from the Arlen Ness stable: 16″ at both ends, wrapped in a pair of 5.00 Coker/Beck Cycle Blackwalls. For brakes, Yeh turned to Arlen Ness again—matching a set of their billet caliper housings to composite rotors from Lyndall Brakes.

“I met the Ness family several times at different shows and we became friends,” says Yeh. “They offer good deals on parts and, since I don’t have any allegiance to any particular brand, I thought I’d go ahead and try it out.”

From his own Rough Crafts collection, Yeh’s fitted a set of Fighter handlebars—with Rough crafts risers and grips, and a mix of Rough Crafts and Performance Machine controls. The foot controls, air filter, fuel tank and cap, rocker arm cover and seat (with removable pillion unit) are also Rough Crafts components.

The headlight is a Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight unit, treated to a grill with matching tail light and turn signals. Rounding off the package is a pair of Rough Crafts Guerilla exhausts, and a Voodoo fender strut kit from Rocket Bobs.

Given Taiwan’s ruthlessly strict laws on customizing bikes, the engine is essentially stock—and the frame has only received minor edits. But just about everything else is new.

Yeh turned to CT-Garage to handle all the assembly work, and Air Runner Custom Paint for the graphics. The bike’s almost completely murdered out—with a mix of black finishes contrasted only by the engine’s polished fins.

The Dyna Guerilla was originally intended as a personal project: a bike to showcase Yeh’s abilities. Despite this it was sold early on—before the project was even completed.

Somehow, we’re not surprised. Check out the Bike EXIF archives for a jaw-dropping selection of previous Rough Crafts bikes.

]]>http://www.bikeexif.com/dyna-fat-bob/feed0Rough Crafts’ Harley Dyna “Urban Cavalry”http://www.bikeexif.com/harley-davidson-dyna
http://www.bikeexif.com/harley-davidson-dyna#commentsThu, 11 Sep 2014 17:30:42 +0000http://www.bikeexif.com/?p=18296Read more »]]>
Is there any remaining doubt that Rough Crafts is one of the world’s top custom Harley builders? On the evidence of this new Dyna, I don’t think so.

‘Urban Cavalry’ is not your typical Harley build. For starters, it’s an official commission—a gift to the custom scene from the folks at Harley-Davidson Taiwan. Even better, they gave Rough Crafts’ Winston Yeh the freedom to pursue his own direction, and he chose performance.

‘Performance’ and ‘Harley-Davidson’ are words not usually found in the same sentence. But this machine, based on a 2014-spec Dyna Street Bob, shows what’s possible. “The Dyna platform has a good balance between engine power and bike size,” says Yeh. “Out of all the current Harley model families, it’s also got the best potential for good handling.”

To ramp up the dynamics, Yeh has fitted a complete new front end, with upside-down Kawasaki sportbike forks supplied by Satya Kraus. “Satya has been a great friend for several years now,” says Yeh. “And I’ve always loved his Dynamoto Front End kit with Öhlins forks. We’ve fitted a shorter custom version of that kit to improve the stance, and blacked-out Öhlins shocks at the back.” Yeh also installed an aluminum swingarm from Roaring Toyz and a BDL open belt drive, both of which reduce weight even further.

The brake system is equally high end. The dark metal composite rotors were custom-made by the US firm Lyndall Racing Brakes, and they’re hooked up to six-piston calipers from exotic Swedish brand ISR. Brake fade will never be an issue.

The stock Dyna has a surfeit of torque, so the powertrain upgrades are restricted to the engine breathing. The 103 ci (1689 cc) motor gets a boost from S&S ‘Super G’ carburetion—plus a quite extraordinary exhaust system. It’s from Dog House Racing, Taiwan’s premium titanium exhaust fabricator.

“I’ve known Dog House for years and always wanted to work with him,” says Yeh. “It’s just that our blacked-out, vintage-style bikes haven’t been a good fit for the ‘titanium rainbow’ effect he creates. But now, for this performance-driven bike, it was the perfect time to make a full titanium system. So we sat down together, and came up with a design similar to Rough Crafts’ classic ‘Bomber’ 2-into-1 pipe.”

Despite the new-found focus on tearing up the asphalt, the Dyna is the best example yet of the stunning Rough Crafts ‘look’. With a narrow custom tank and a superbike-inspired tail unit, there’s a distinct air of vintage sci-fi. It’s the kind of machine you could imagine racing through the streets in Blade Runner.

The finish is almost entirely monochrome, with black anodized hard parts offset by semi-gloss grey paint from Air Runner. Even the Arlen Ness Beveled Wheels, 18” at the front and 17” at the back, have been completely blacked out. The only glimpses of color are the titanium exhaust pipework, the fork tubes, and tiny brass highlights on the pushrod collars made by 2 Abnormal Sides.

I wouldn’t call myself a Harley guy, but I’d be happy to have this bike in my garage. Correction: I would gladly sell a close family member to put this bike in my garage.

]]>http://www.bikeexif.com/harley-davidson-dyna/feed0Harley Softail Slim by Rough Craftshttp://www.bikeexif.com/harley-softail-slim
http://www.bikeexif.com/harley-softail-slim#commentsWed, 19 Mar 2014 17:30:15 +0000http://www.bikeexif.com/?p=17121Read more »]]>
The Harley Softail Slim has two points in its favor: it’s a simple bobber-style bike with a vintage vibe, and it has a super-low seat height of less than 24 inches. It’s basically a Fat Boy with the fat trimmed off, and there’s ample grunt from a 103ci (1688cc) Big Twin motor.

This makes it the ideal platform for a custom build, and Winston Yeh of Rough Crafts has seized the bait. ‘Crowned Stallion’ is the latest build from Yeh’s Taipei workshop, and it’s so well finished it could almost be a factory bike.

Taiwan’s laws on motorcycle modification are strict, forcing Yeh to be subtle in his upgrades. The silhouette of the bike can’t change too much. But that hasn’t stopped him chopping the Softail’s rear frame and installing a custom tank and seat unit, flowing beautifully as one over the cylinder heads.

The vintage-style wheels are modern replicas from Exile Cycles, with a 16” up front and a mighty seven-inch wide 15” at the back. The tires are Indian Script and Avon AM21, which should offer better grip than most retro-style rubber.

Exile also provided the brake rotors and the open primary belt drive. The calipers come from Performance Machine, along with the foot and hand controls. The bars, risers and grips are all Rough Crafts parts.

I’d categorize this Softail Slim as one of those rare Harley customs that appeal to people who don’t usually like Harleys. It’s modern but slightly gothic at the same time—more evidence that Rough Crafts is one of the top custom Harley builders operating today.

]]>http://www.bikeexif.com/harley-softail-slim/feed0Yamaha XS650 bobberhttp://www.bikeexif.com/1980-yamaha-xs650-bobber
http://www.bikeexif.com/1980-yamaha-xs650-bobber#commentsSun, 16 Feb 2014 17:30:51 +0000http://www.bikeexif.com/?p=16893Read more »]]>
Roughly a year ago we featured a slammed 1982 Yamaha XS650, resplendent in an intricate gold paintjob. It was built by Taipei-based Mark Huang, who still has it and rides it regularly. He’s since built another XS650 in the same Japanese street-bobber style—and it looks just as great.

It was commissioned by a good customer and friend of Mark’s, Gregory Wu. Mark had built an off-the-wall SR400 for Greg back in 2011, but the customized SR wasn’t road legal in Taiwan, making it difficult to ride freely. So, Greg asked Mark to modify another bike for him—less radically this time.

Mark started with a 1980-model XS650 that, like his own, had to be sourced from California, as the XS650 is ultra-rare in Taiwan. The two bikes share a few traits—both ride on 11-inch rear shocks, lowered front forks and 18-inch wheels front and back, fitted with Firestone’s Deluxe Champion tires.

A similar seat, rear loop and fender were fabricated for Greg’s XS, and the airbox and side covers removed in favor of a beautiful, handcrafted battery box. The exhaust headers and mufflers are also one-off parts. The headlight is from Unity, and a modified ’47 Chevrolet truck taillight has been installed at the back.

The bike’s most striking feature is its fuel tank—a Yamaha DT250 unit that Mark lengthened by about 4 inches, creating a 1-to-1 ratio with the seat. It’s wrapped in a lush green paint scheme by Air Runner Custom Paint, who Mark uses for all his bikes.

To be completely honest slammed bobbers have never been my thing. But with excellent workmanship, clean lines and perfect finishes, Mark has me convinced.

How about you?

If you speak Taiwanese and are looking for classy custom parts, you’ll find Mark’s site here.

]]>http://www.bikeexif.com/1980-yamaha-xs650-bobber/feed0Rough Crafts ‘Stealth Bullet’ Sportsterhttp://www.bikeexif.com/rough-crafts-harley-sportster
http://www.bikeexif.com/rough-crafts-harley-sportster#commentsSun, 10 Nov 2013 17:30:13 +0000http://www.bikeexif.com/?p=16365Read more »]]>
The rise of Winston Yeh and Rough Crafts in the custom world is nothing short of meteoric. Any remaining doubts that he’s one of the world’s top Harley builders were erased when he took home a trophy at the last AMD World Championship at first attempt.

This is Stealth Bullet, the 2008-model Sportster that won the Modified Harley-Davidson class by a convincing margin. Completed too late to be wheeled into a studio, it has spent much of the past six months in transit—and only now do we have good images. Here they are: enjoy.

Stealth Bullet is more obviously a ‘show bike’ than Yeh’s previous creations, but the Rough Crafts hallmarks are all there. The look is monochrome, the stance is low and the componentry is factory-grade—if not better.

The Sportster has been converted to oil-in-frame mode, and up front is a minimalist girder suspension with a single spring behind the custom headlight. Out back is a custom swingarm and the bike rides on wheels from Performance Machine, 21” at the front and 18” at the rear (shod with M&H dragbike rubber). Finding it impossible to fit a conventional lithium ion battery in the triangular midsection under the seat, Yeh had a battery custom-made in trapezoidal format to fit.

As with all Rough Crafts bikes, the detailing is a joy to behold, from the finned engine covers to the snake-like exhaust system, which terminates right alongside the custom seat unit. The rocker and cam covers are also custom, along with the rearsets, and the open primary is a modified item from Evolution Industries.

Stealth Bullet is a relatively restrained build by AMD championship standards. But the judges in Essen, Germany, recognized good taste when they saw it. This is one show bike that I bet a lot of riders would like to put in their garage.

]]>http://www.bikeexif.com/rough-crafts-harley-sportster/feed01982 Yamaha XS650http://www.bikeexif.com/1982-yamaha-xs650
http://www.bikeexif.com/1982-yamaha-xs650#commentsMon, 04 Mar 2013 17:30:42 +0000http://www.bikeexif.com/?p=15126Read more »]]>
Ever since I saw the Yamaha built by Frenchman Sonic Seb, I’ve had a thing for slammed XS650s. Granted, they’re not the most practical of customs, but sheesh—they look good.

This one comes from Taiwan, the country best known for giving us Rough Crafts. Builder Mark Huang is based in Taipei, and like most Taiwanese builders, he faced a few challenges—the first being the scarcity of the XS650 in that country. “I had to get this 1982 bike from California,” Mark says, “but it was in great condition. I then spent four months turning it into a Japanese-style street bobber.”

Since 2005, Mark has been running a motorcycle parts company—so he’s seen a lot of bikes, and knows how to get the look he wants. Central to that look is the tank, and in this case it’s from a tiny Honda CB50. Finished with an amazingly intricate paintjob from Air Runner, it’s matched to a custom seat unit with the bare necessity of padding required for rider comfort. A custom-fabricated aluminum fender flows neatly over the 18” rear wheel.

The front suspension is stock XS650 but lowered just over three inches, and Mark fitted 11-inch shocks at the back. The final touch is a hand-made exhaust system, terminated with reverse cone mufflers. The level of finish throughout the XS650 is quite extraordinary.

The XS650 will join Mark’s 1977 Harley-Davidson shovel in his garage. If you’re inspired to build one yourself, check out our Archives for other XS650 builds from around the world.

]]>http://www.bikeexif.com/1982-yamaha-xs650/feed0Rough Crafts Shadow Rockethttp://www.bikeexif.com/fat-boy-harley
http://www.bikeexif.com/fat-boy-harley#commentsSat, 22 Dec 2012 17:30:43 +0000http://www.bikeexif.com/?p=14816Read more »]]>
Winston Yeh has only been running Rough Crafts for three years. But in that short time, he’s become one of the world’s hottest custom Harley builders—despite being based in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, and thousands of miles away from Milwaukee.

This is the latest Rough Crafts machine, ‘Shadow Rocket’. It’s fresh from its debut at Mooneyes in Japan, where it was the pick of the show for both Hot Bike magazine (USA) and Chopper Journal (Japan). It’s based on a 2002-model FLSTF Softail—the first Fat Boy to get Harley’s counterbalanced Twin Cam 88B motor. But the bloated looks of the stock Fat Boy are gone. Yeh’s vision is dark and glossy and sleek, and all the better for it.

The sheet metal is new, from the gas tank to the fenders, and the frame has been subtly chopped. The forks have been shortened, and custom fabricated lowers are hiding Progressive Suspension springs. (Progressive also supplied the shocks.) The wheels are forged aluminum RSD Black Ops, 18” at the front and 16” at the back, and Performance Machine brakes haul the Fat Boy to a stop.

This is the best-looking Harley engine I’ve seen in a long time. With 1,450cc, the motor has plenty enough grunt for cruising, so Yeh has left the internals stock. The timing and rocker covers are from RSD.

Just about everything else on this Fat Boy has been fabricated by Rough Crafts. That includes the air cleaner, the bars and the mid-set controls. Yeh also designed the lighting, the seat and the exhaust system.